


Good Vibrations

by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions)



Series: Don't Let's Start Adjacent [9]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Beaches, Brotherly Bonding, Day At The Beach, Gen, Splash Fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-04
Packaged: 2019-05-18 08:36:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14849387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticReactions/pseuds/BossToaster
Summary: The paladins take advantage of a gorgeous beach and good weather to take a break.It goes as well as you'd expect.Written for the Blessed and Possessed Zine.  Art byMachidieles





	Good Vibrations

Shiro tilted his head up and closed his eyes, letting the heavy rays of the sun beat down on his face.  He pressed his toes into the sand below him, enjoying the heat he could leach from it.

His pleasant moment of peace was interrupted by a loud series of curses, and then a splash.

Sighing, Shiro tilted his head down the beach, to where Hunk was laughing so hard he nearly lost his balance and fell into the water.  Pidge emerged from the ocean, soaked and with her glasses barely hanging on to the tangles of her hair. With a war cry, she launched herself forward, wrapping around Hunk’s shoulder and overbalancing him.  The pair went crashing back down into the water.

A beach day had sounded like a great idea, when it came up.  The castle needed to go through a full reboot to take the latest upgrades and repairs, meaning they had an afternoon to kill.  Initially, Shiro had planned on using that for Voltron practice. With seven pilots and so many possible combinations, they needed to be able to work together in any set, no matter who was in which lion.

But that could wait one more day.  It was nice out, the perfect breezy heat to encourage everyone to jump into the water.  Even Allura and Coran had been coaxed into the party, though it hadn’t taken much. One threatening splash from Keith on Allura, and she’d charged right in, competitive spirit in full burn.

Everyone was enjoying their afternoon off at the beach.

Well, nearly everyone.

Shiro sighed and scooted back under the umbrella, perching on a towel rather than sit directly on the sand.  The heat was perfect for the water, but it was much less fun for sitting around. Especially when he was wearing long sleeves and pants, all in black.

It wasn’t that Shiro meant to be a stick in the mud - or, sand, in this case.  It was just, well...

It was no one’s fault.  Nothing Shiro wanted to make anyone feel guilty or awkward over.

But Ryou was standing waist deep in the water, in nothing but flower-printed swim trunks and one of those ridiculous shell necklaces they sold at tourist traps.  Shiro had no idea where he’d gotten it, or how he could stand looking at himself dressed up like a wanna be surfer frat boy.

The near complete lack of scars helped.

That wasn’t totally true.  There was the slice over Ryou’s nose, identical in every way to Shiro’s, and the gnarled skin right where his Altean prosthetic ended.  Once in awhile, the leg of his trunks would ride up, and the bottom edge of a burn scar was barely visible. But other than that, his skin was smooth and unmarred, just like Shiro’s had been a few years ago.

Scowling at his own morose thoughts, Shiro flopped back on the towel and huffed at the underside of the umbrella.  Idly, he tugged at the sleeves of his shirt, trying to pull them farther down.

Footsteps in the sand roused him.  Shiro sat back up, trying to look like he hadn’t just been moping, when Pidge stuck her head down after him.  “Hey, you sunbathing under there?”

“I’d burn far too quickly,” Shiro admitted.  “Tanning is a process for me. You got free of Hunk?”

“Mhmm.”  Pidge glanced back, openly amused, as Allura wrestled Hunk under the waves.  “He declared himself king of the ocean last time I tried to dunk him..”

Oh, bad call.  That was guaranteed to get Allura going.  Hunk tried to reach for Coran, currently floating by on a bright orange inflatable, and he only got a cheery wave and a teasing smile.

Well, that would teach Hunk to watch his words.  “Good thing we have back-up pilots,” Shiro commented flatly.

“Speaking of Yellow, want to build a sandcastle with me and Matt?”

Shiro blinked at Pidge, brows up.  “What does that have to do with Yellow?”

Shrugging, Pidge gestured vaguely back toward the castle.  “Spirit of ground. Rock. Sand. Sandcastle. Done.”

Fair enough.  Shiro considered, eyes sliding over to the ocean again.  Hunk floated sulkily on his back, thoroughly bested, while Allura cackled gleefully and Keith hovered over him.  Even as he watched, Lance climbed onto Ryou’s shoulders, chicken style, and the monstrous pair of them descended on her to steal her throne.

Silly, all of it.

Still, Shiro’s chest ached to take part.

“A sandcastle would be nice,” Shiro allowed.  “Matt got sick of the water too?”

Matt stepped over with a handful of shovels and buckets, probably manufactured on the ship for this exact purpose.  “I dipped my feet in. That’s about all I’m interested in doing. Sand sculptures are way more my bag. I want to make a sand version of the Castle of Lions.”

That-

That actually sounded like an interesting challenge.  Shiro’s brow furrowed thoughtfully, already planning how that would work.  Lost in thought, he nearly missed the pleased look the Holt siblings shared at his obvious interest.

Ah, so the real point was to draw him out of his shade.

Well, Shiro couldn’t deny that a Sandcastle of Lions sounded better than moping over his vanity.

“Alright,” he agreed, standing.  “You have a way you want to do this?”

Matt beamed and shoved two of the buckets into Shiro’s hands.  “We’ll clear out a flat space and start measuring, and you can go fill this up with wet sand, alright?”

Rolling his eyes, Shiro took the buckets.  “You want to get out of the heavy labor, then.”

“Exactly!”  Matt bent down, pressing his cheek to Pidge’s and grabbing hold of one wrist.  “You wouldn’t make your smallest paladin do all that hard work, right?” He waved around Pidge’s arm like a puppet.  “Look at our nerdy noodle arms.”

“Hey!” Pidge snapped, yanking her arms back.  “Paladins don’t have noodle arms.”

“Matt, I’ve seen you fight,” Shiro shot back flatly, unimpressed with the argument.  “I know you can carry a bucket of sand.” But he sighed and shook his head, amused despite himself.  “Fine, fine.”

He made a beeline for the water, ignoring Matt’s successful crooning and Pidge’s continued annoyance at him.  As he came closer, Allura finally managed to knock the Lance-and-Ryou tower off balance, sending them both crashing hard into the waves.

Lance immediately popped back up, but Ryou stayed under for several long seconds.  Moving over to the pale shape in the water, Lance poked the top of Ryou’s head. “Did Allura actually kill you?”

Finally breaching the surface, Ryou spat out salt water.  “Yes,” he replied flatly. “I am slain. Avenge me.”

Falling dramatically to his knees, Lance clutched Ryou’s head to his chest and let out a overdramatic wail.  “No! You had so much to live for! So much potential you had not yet reached!”

“What a cruel universe,” Ryou replied, tone still completely monotone.

Watching them both with his eyebrows up, Keith snorted.  “Not dead enough to keep you from talking.”

Allura buffed her nails on her chest, a gesture she had definitely picked up from Lance.  “Usurpers will be put down without mercy.”

“You’re a usurper,” Hunk pointed out darkly, wringing out his headband.

That only earned him a smirk.  “I liberated the title from you.”

“The victorious write history,” Shiro called to them, as he kneeled down to pack wet sand into the bucket.

Allura flipped her hair back and shot a smug look over her shoulder.  “Precisely.”

Dropping Ryou’s head suddenly, Lance stuck out his bottom lip.  “Shiro, we need your help. Save us!”

For a moment, Ryou crashed down under the water, then burst back up with a cough.  “Yeah, c’mon, join us in getting our ass kicked.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Allura offered airly, though her expression was slightly more worried.

Hunk huffed and splashed her.  “You’re going down, Princess.”

Then another wave came from behind Hunk, drenching him anew.  

“Illegal splashing,” Coran commented calmly, taking his hand back from the water.  He didn’t even sit up from his inflatable, feet trailing through the water. “Minus five yards.”

Keith looked around the group, his expression flat.  “Who’s teaching Coran football terms?”

Ryou’s grin grew that much more impish.

“Ignore him, Coran, I only know the basics of football, and he knows even less.  It hasn’t been my focus the past couple of years.”

“You don’t know that,” Ryou shot back.  “I could have learned independently of you.” But he kicked his way through the water toward Shiro.  “Seriously, the water feels great, and you’re going to get heat stroke at this rate. At least get wet.”

The reference to his outfit made Shiro still.  “I’m fine,” he replied tightly. “And I’m helping Pidge and Matt with their project.”

Glancing over, Coran snorted.  “Are you quite sure of that, Number One?”

Shiro paused, then glanced back.  Rather than measuring or smoothing the base or any of the things Matt had claimed they were doing, the pair of them were tussling in the sand.  Pidge kicked wildly and tried to scratch back at her brother, while Matt took great pleasure in sprinkling sand in her face and hair.

...Yeah, Shiro wasn’t walking back into that.

Even so...

Stepping out of the water, Ryou stopped in front of Shiro, hands on his hips.  Then his expression softened. “If you want, I can put on a shirt,” he offered gently.  “Or I can go in for a bit.”

Shiro closed his eyes hard and shook his head.  “I don’t want to ruin your fun. This isn’t your problem.”

“It kind of is.”

“No, it’s  _ not. _ ” __ Shiro’s voice dropped to a hiss, and he glanced back past Ryou, making sure no one could hear them talking.

Ryou huffed.  “It is if it means you’re going to go back to hiding under your umbrella.  If you’re not going to get back in the water, I’m staying out here with you.”

Groaning, Shiro clutched the bucket tighter.  “Ryou. Just let it go.”

“Make me.”  Ryou’s brows rose and he crossed his arms in open challenge.

It was an obvious trap. 

But damn if it didn’t work.

Narrowing his eyes, Shiro dropped the bucket and dove forward.

Ryou backpedaled quickly, avoiding the initial grab.  But the water slowed him, and Shiro was able to get a grip around his waist on a second attempt.  Then he heaved Ryou up, using mostly the strength of his prosthetic, and threw him right back at Lance.  The both of them went into the water with a shriek. 

Shiro wadded into the water, and ignored the way his shirt and pants soaked uncomfortably. Arms crossed, he stood next to Allura.  “If I’m playing, I’m joining the winning team.”

“Hey!”  Hunk gaped at dismay, then whirled around.  “Ryou! What did you say to make it  _ worse?” _

Rising from the water like a monster in a corny swamp movie, Ryou shook his head and sent droplets everywhere.  “Nevermind. We can beat them. They’re nothing.”

Shiro glanced Allura, who arched a brow back.

Then they both shoved forward, sending a wave of water right at Ryou and the still emerging Lance.

It absolutely drenched them both - and Coran as well, who was right behind them.

Pushing his now soaking wet hair out of his face, Coran spat out salt water.  Then he slowly and deliberately got off his inflatable. “Alright, then. I see it’s time to teach you a lesson.”

“We’re very sorry, Coran,” Shiro said, raising his hands up placatingly.  “It was an accident.”

“I’m not sorry,” Allura declared, still high on victory.  “It’s about time you got off that silly thing.”

Coran blinked at her, then cupped his hand to his mouth.  “Matthew, Pidge! If you help us take out Allura and Shiro, you won’t have to clean the control room for two weeks.”

That stopped the fighting on the beach.  Both Holts looked up and shared a glance, then immediately shook for peace in the name of the greater good.

Well, fine.  Shiro and Allura were terrifyingly competent on their own.  They could take the rest of the team if they worked together.

“Just don’t throw me this time,” he muttered to her.

“I make no promises.”

Then, pandemonium unleashed on them.

***

Two hours of splash fights and bruises later, Ryou and Shiro sat together on Coran’s inflatable.  Drinks had been passed out as a peace offering. Ryou had chugged his immediately, but Shiro still had his propped between them.

The Sandcastle of Lions project had finally truly begun, taking the attention of most everyone.  So far, Ryou and Shiro’s absence hadn’t been commented on. That probably wouldn’t last. But for the moment, there was peace.

“Hey, so...”  Ryou glanced over, nudging their shoulders together.  “I’m sorry for pushing before.”

Shiro sighed.  “Apology accepted.  And you were right. There was no reason not to be in the water.  It’s not your fault, you know.”

“Yeah, but I’m the cause, right?”  Sighing, Ryou reached up and scratched under the shell necklace.  “That’s not all, either. I just- I know you sit there on your own and think ‘let them have their fun, they don’t need me to interrupt’.  And now that I’m on the outside, that’s not true. It’s actually kind of infuriating.”

“Oh.”  Shiro considered that and glanced over at him.  “That wasn’t it, this time. Not really. But I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Ryou nodded.  “Alright. For real, would it be easier if I wore a shirt next time?”  His smirk widened. “I could get one of those sleeveless ones that say ‘suns out, guns out’.  Make one for Lance too, he’d appreciate it.”

Snorting, Shiro knocked their shoulders together harder, jamming against Ryou’s side.  Then he just didn’t really move away. “You already look ridiculous with your tourist-chic trunks and necklace.  Don’t make it worse.”

“You’re being a snob again.”  Ryou wrapped an arm around Shiro’s shoulders and gave a squeeze, threatening to put him in a headlock.  But he was laughing as he did it. “I’m sorry I don’t follow your hipster dress code.”

Shiro shook his head fondly, his own grin so wide it almost hurt.  “I’m ashamed to be seen with you. I’m never going to the beach with you on Earth.  You’ll be dressed entirely from those awful seaside tourist chains.”

“That’s the idea, yes.”

“You really are the evil twin.”  Shiro snickered, then glanced up at Ryou.  “But, honestly? Don’t. It’s your body.”

Sighing, Ryou used the arm around Shiro’s shoulders to pull him in tight.  “Yeah. I don’t like making you feel bad, though.”

“I need to get used to it.  Seeing you and... how I look.”  Shiro’s eyes fell closed as he took a deep breath.  “Maybe I’ll get a short sleeved shirt.”

Running his fingers through Shiro’s wet hair, Ryou smiled.  “I think that’d be a good idea. You don’t need to do it today, though.”

Yeah, he didn’t.  Shiro relaxed and finally sat back up, taking a sip from his drink.  “Hmm. Think we should tell them the back left corner is shorter than the rest?”

Ryou burst into laughter and cupped a hand to his mouth.  “Hey, all of you, measure twice, build once!”

From the shore, Pidge flipped them both off.

Still snorting, Ryou leaned against Shiro’s side and beamed at him.  Shiro smiled back, softer but no less fond.

The sun beat down on both of them as they gently bobbed on the waves.  The rays were warm, but the fond feeling in Shiro’s chest was warmer.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked this, please check out the Blessed and Possessed zine, which is now free to download!


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